


Stanley and Raymond

by enviropony



Category: due South
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Dialogue Heavy, M/M, Snapshots
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-31
Updated: 2018-08-31
Packaged: 2019-07-04 20:29:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,147
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15848787
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/enviropony/pseuds/enviropony
Summary: Detectives Raymond Vecchio and Stanley Kowalski have a good thing going. (Snapshots from an AU pilot episode).





	Stanley and Raymond

**Author's Note:**

  * For [DarkSideofMH (MissHammer)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissHammer/gifts).



"Detective Armani! That is a winner!" Stanley won't stop laughing. 

"Yuk it up, chucklehead," Ray says. "You let him into holding, didn't you?"

"Wish I could take the credit, Vecchio, I really do."

"Ah, gentlemen? If I may?" The mountie is getting impatient. Ray sits at his desk, feels the breath on his neck as Stanley leans down beside him, squinting at the names on the list he's been handed. 

"The dead mountie thing," Stanley says. "Like we don't got enough on our plates."

"The dead mountie was my father," the live mountie says.

Ray jabs Stanley in the gut with his elbow. "You insensitive dick!"

"Hey, how was I supposed to know?" Stanley straightens up. "Hey, I'm sorry, buddy. We'll look into it, okay?"

"Before the trail goes cold?" the mountie asks pointedly.

"Yeah," Ray says. "Yeah, before the trail goes cold."

\- - -

"Raymond, you're gonna get shot, pal. I'm telling you-"

"Stanley, I'm golden. Just keep your trap shut and act like I'm in charge."

"I'll just wait out here then, shall I?" Fraser asks, running his fingers over the brim of his hat.

"Good call, Fraser," Stanley says. "No sense all three of us getting shot."

"And if you should require assistance?"

"I'll give a moose call," Ray says, his hand on the door to the bar.

"Moose call, what the fuck does a moose call sound like?" Stanley mutters, following him in.

Three minutes later, Ray's wishing he knew the answer to that question. Fortunately, Fraser comes busting in, anyway. Unfortunately, he's not carrying a loaded gun. The wolf almost makes up for it.

As Drake tries to blow them away, Stanley fumbles for his glasses. Ray prays he doesn't get to them, because the dumb fuck will get a shotgun blast to the face when he stands up to take the shot, Ray just knows it.

Stanley drops his glasses, and Ray breathes a sigh of relief. 

\- - -

Ma Vecchio pats Stanley on the cheek. "Still too thin, Stanley. Sit, sit!"

Stanley ducks his head and grins that boyish grin. Ray nudges him with his shoulder. "Well, sit, blondie! Fraser, take a seat, don't be shy."

They settle at the table, Ray's family already squabbling around them, and dig in. Stanley hogs the meatballs, like always. Fraser looks overwhelmed, but Stanley takes pity and puts a couple of meatballs on his plate. "They're always like this, don't sweat it," he says over the ruckus.

Ray listens to his sisters fighting and remembers Frannie's dickbag husband, and suddenly it comes to him. "He broke her arm!"

"Who broke what now?" Stanley's attuned to him despite the noise. "Whose arm?"

"Drake, he broke his wife's arm!" Ray says, throwing his napkin down, and Stanley gets it, because he's tugging the polenta out of Fraser's hands, and pushing him toward the door.

"We're going to see Drake's wife!" Stanley says, when Fraser glances between them, bewildered.

\- - -

"Did that seem too easy to you?" Stanley asks, crammed into the back seat with the wolf as they drive to Chinatown. "That seemed too easy to me."

"You heard the lady, she wants Drake's ass on a platter," Ray counters.

Later, he has a moment of perfect clarity as he shoves Fraser and Stanley out the window, just before the world explodes around him.

It had, of course, been too easy.

\- - -

Fraser doesn't say goodbye, but Ray's got his eyes open when the mountie walks past his room with that old rucksack slung over one shoulder. Stanley's too busy watching Ray to notice.

"You dumb fuck," Stanley mutters, and slips a hand into Ray's uninjured one. He runs his thumb over Ray's knuckles. "You lucky bastard, that could have been curtains. And I got rotten lettuce in my hair, no thanks to you."

Ray doesn't say anything. He just squeezes Stanley's hand tight, and thanks God that Stanley's still alive to complain.

\- - -

"We're going!" Ray insists, trying to pull his pants on one-handed. "The guy needs us."

"I'm going, you're staying!" Stanley shoots back. "You've been out of the hospital two days."

"He's going to need all the help he can get."

"You're being stupid!"

"You're stupid!"

They're still arguing when they get on the plane, Stanley lugging both their carry-ons.

\- - -

Stanley's rifling through their bag of tricks, pocketing bullets that match the gun he's chosen, when the sound of a shotgun startles them.

"Damn it, they don't waste time, do they?" he asks, edging to the window. "Down!"

Ray hits the floor instinctively, and watches Stanley scuttle behind the couch as machine guns thunder outside and bullets start to tear up the walls. 

"There's a trap door!" Stanley calls, crawling over to him.

Ray paws blindly at the table, comes up with a grenade and a fishing reel, and says, "I got an idea!"

Stanley rigs the trip wire in no time, and they hurry down into the cellar and out the back door, aiming for the barn. 

Fraser's still alive, thank god, but there's only room for one on the honest-to-go dog sled. 

"Go!" Stanley says, pushing Ray into the seat. "I got this."

"Bullshit, you got this," Ray protests, but Stanley's loading the gun and putting on his glasses.

"I said I got this," he repeats, and leans down to kiss Ray's forehead. "Fraser, go!"

Fraser doesn't comment, just yells, "Okay, guys!" and the dogs start off. Behind them, Ray hears engines revving, and three gunshots. 

"Mary, mother of God," he murmurs, "please protect him."

\- - -

It takes longer to get back to the cabin than Ray can stand, even with Fraser urging the dogs on. "I'm sure he's fine, Ray!" he says more than once.

Ray just focuses on keeping the injured Dief on the sled, and prays. 

Stanley's standing on the front porch when they finally pull up, looking none the worse for wear. "I put out the fire," is the first thing he says, gesturing at the cabin.

"Stanley, you dumb fuck," Ray breathes, and scrambles out of the sled. They meet at the foot of the stairs, Ray wrapping his good arm around Stanley, who puts a hand on his neck and pulls him close. They touch foreheads, just breathing each other in for a moment. Then Stanley angles in for a kiss. Ray feels a frisson of fear - Fraser's right there - but fuck it, they almost died, and the mountie owes them, who's he gonna tell?

Stanley's lips are chapped but his mouth is warm and desperate. Ray loses himself in the heat of the kiss, doesn't let up until his lungs burn for air. Stanley gasps into his mouth, then whispers, "I'm gonna say it, asshole. I love you."

Ray shivers, and it's not from the cold. "Yeah, me too. I love you, too."

When they finally pull apart, Fraser's kneeling down next to Dief, and watching them with fond indulgence. 

-end-


End file.
